In January 2024, crews braced a two-room house from 1873, took its chimney apart so it could be rebuilt later, and set it on sliding beams and dollies. Overnight, they drove it along Mays Street and then east on US 79, out of downtown Round Rock. The house had sat downtown since 1976, serving as the Palm House Museum and as space for the Round Rock Chamber. The move took it back to Palm Farm, the land where it was built. That land is now the Old Settlers Association grounds at 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the house opens to the public for the first time since that drive. The date matters. One day earlier, The Light Park switches on its holiday lights in the Dell Diamond parking lot, at the same end of Palm Valley Boulevard. A month later, Light Up the Lake fills Old Settlers Park. Round Rock's holiday season runs along this stretch of US 79, and this year its oldest house will be open there too.
Why the house left downtown
The 2024 move made room for construction of a paseo connecting Prete Plaza to the new Round Rock Public Library, as Community Impact reported. That took the Palm House away from the downtown corner it had held for nearly 50 years.
Moving it was not a simple decision. The Palm House is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, so any move needed approval from the Texas Historical Commission. The commission usually discourages relocating historic structures. In this case it made an exception, because the house had been moved before, would be going back to its original property, and would keep its historic designation. In other words, it allowed the move because the house was going home.
The house went back with less than it had downtown. Before the move, crews demolished the additions the Chamber had built onto it over the years, leaving the original two rooms. The building that returned to the farm is close to the one the Palm family knew.
What up to $500,000 in hotel taxes bought
After two years on the Old Settlers grounds, the house was restored. Work began in March 2026, and Community Impact's June report listed what was planned:
- Refreshed partial structural framing
- A new front porch, support columns, and an ADA-compliant ramp
- A new rear deck and exterior cedar siding
- Refurbished original windows and shutters, refurbished interior doors, and a replacement entry door
- A new shake roof
- New electrical service and lighting, a new HVAC system, and insulation for the floors and some walls
The city said the project would use up to $500,000 in hotel occupancy tax funding. Hotel occupancy tax revenue can only go to certain uses, and historical restoration is one of them under the Texas Comptroller's guidance. The 2024 move was paid for from the same source. The City of Round Rock described that money as revenue from hotel visitors. Both the move and the restoration drew on taxes collected from people staying overnight in Round Rock.
The restoration was expected to wrap up by the end of July. The public reopening comes in November.
Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 on the same stretch of road
The Old Settlers Association announced on Oct. 2 that the reopening will start at 10 a.m. on Nov. 7 on its grounds, with an open house until noon. Community Impact reported that the museum will show furniture and other household items from the years the house was lived in. The house now sits near Dell Diamond.
The night before, The Light Park opens in the Dell Diamond parking lot. You drive through the displays while they play in sync with holiday music, which comes through your car radio. The radio station is provided on-site.
The next date to watch is Nov. 6. A 2026 presale ticket on The Light Park's ticket page costs $29.99 per car, is good for any night of the season, and must be bought before Nov. 6. With service fee, card fee, and sales tax, checkout showed $36.27 for one presale ticket. An Aura Wand that syncs to the show is a $14.99 add-on. Because one ticket covers the whole car, it costs the same whether you bring two people or a full minivan.
That makes Nov. 6 and 7 a natural pair: the lights on Friday night, the Palm House on Saturday morning. Both are on the same end of Palm Valley Boulevard, less than a day apart.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Before Nov. 6 | Light Park presale, $29.99 per car | Online |
| Nov. 6 | The Light Park opens | Dell Diamond parking lot |
| Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to noon | Palm House grand reopening and open house | Old Settlers Association grounds, 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. |
| November or December | Cottonwood Creek Taproom expected to open | 1201 E. Palm Valley Blvd. |
| Dec. 4 and 5 | Light Up the Lake | Old Settlers Park |
| Jan. 3, 2027 | The Light Park's final night | Dell Diamond parking lot |
December moves across to Bright Lake
The Light Park runs nightly through the holidays. The city's own event comes four weeks later. The City of Round Rock's listing puts Light Up the Lake on Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5, at Old Settlers Park. It starts at 6 p.m. on the first night and runs until 10 p.m. on the second. The schedule includes live music on the Lakeview Stage, giant balloons over Bright Lake, a light show, holiday displays, food, crafts, family activities, and a yule log.
Parking and admission details for 2026 are not posted yet. The sponsor and vendor section of the city page still says "Coming Soon." The city published a know-before-you-go guide for the 2024 event, but its parking and shuttle instructions were for that year. Check the 2026 page again closer to Dec. 4.
These two events are different kinds of evening. The Light Park is a timed drive you can do on any night through Jan. 3. Light Up the Lake is two nights only, and you walk it on foot around the water. Both use the land around the Old Settlers grounds, where the Palm House now stands.
The Old Settlers Association uses that ground all year. It describes Pioneer Days as a public history event with reenactments and hands-on activities. The city has described grounds events held with the Williamson Museum, including Pioneer Day and Midsommar. The 7th annual Midsommar took place there on June 13, 2026. With the house open again, those events now have a restored 1873 home at their center.
A new place to stop on Palm Valley
A new local business is also coming to the corridor before the season ends. Cottonwood Creek Brewery, based in Hutto and locally owned by Bobby Delmonico, is opening Cottonwood Creek Taproom at 1201 E. Palm Valley Blvd. General Manager Catalina McKenzie told Community Impact in September that it should open in November or December. She said both locations will brew beer and some brews will be unique to each. The Hutto location pours 15 house beers and 12 guest taps, and a food truck is planned for the Round Rock taproom in the spring.
If the taproom opens in time, it gives a December evening on Palm Valley one more stop near the lights.
Downtown still has its own draws on the other end of the house's 2024 route. Alcove, at 117 and 119 E. Main St., opened The Fair, a country-western expansion, on Sept. 25. The business also went back to its original Alcove name after operating as Sociedad. On a free Saturday, you could cover both ends of the drive the Palm House made in 2024: Main Street in the afternoon and Palm Valley after dark.
The Palm House spent 48 years downtown, two more on the farm waiting for restoration, and opens its doors on Nov. 7 at 10 a.m.
Our team at Travis Real Estate follows changes like this across Round Rock and the Domain corridor, from historic landmarks to the newest businesses on Palm Valley. If you'd like a local's perspective on how this part of Williamson County is changing, Contact Us.
